Homelessness blow-out threatens to put target out of reach

By
Bevan Shields

A BID to halve the number of homeless Australians by the end
of the decade is in tatters, with the number of people without a permanent roof
over the heads climbing by nearly 16,000 over the past five years.

Homelessness blow-out threatens to put target out of reach

A BID to halve the number of homeless Australians by the end
of the decade is in tatters, with the number of people without a permanent roof
over the heads climbing by nearly 16,000 over the past five years.

The problem is particularly bad in rural and regional
Australia, where, despite perceptions to the contrary, more people are found
sleeping on the street than in capital cities.

A comprehensive report released today by the Australian
Bureau of Statistics has found despite a recent billion-dollar effort by state
and federal governments, 105,237 people were homeless in 2011 – up from 89,728
in 2006.

The homelessness rate rose 20 per cent or more in NSW,
Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT but fell sharply in a traditional trouble spot,
the Northern Territory. It remained stable in Western Australia and South
Australia.

Most of the 16,000 new homeless people were found living in
overcrowded houses and units rather than on the streets.

Homelessness Australia policy and research officer Travis
Gilbert said today’s report was more proof housing affordability had reached
“crisis point”, especially on the fringes of capital cities and in regional
areas affected by mining.

Most ‘rough sleepers’ – people who live in tents, on the
streets or in makeshift structures, do so in rural and regional towns and
cities. About two-thirds of Australia’s population live in capital cities but
only 26 per cent of rough sleepers are found there.

“I think that reflects that there is much less public
housing outside our major cities, a lot less low-cost housing in general and
the general decline in infrastructure and services in rural and regional
Australia,” Mr Gilbert said.

Mr Gilbert said the nation was also still feeling the
shockwaves of the global financial crisis and people who were kicked out of
their home or defaulting on a mortgage then could still be struggling to
recover.

He said about half the 19,500 social housing properties
created via the federal government’s controversial economic stimulus package
had been allocated to people who were homeless or had experienced domestic
violence issues.

“If we hadn’t had that social housing initiative, how much
worse would these numbers have been?” Mr Gilbert said.

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd promised to halve the
number of homeless Australians by 2020 during a major pledge in 2008. A
multi-billion dollar war plan was then established by state and federal
governments.

But the social services sector is growing increasingly
doubtful the target will be reached, despite record funding injections. Today’s
figures are further confirmation of their fears.

“I’d like to hope we can halve homeless by 2020 but in order
to do so we really do need some serious and urgent action to address the
housing affordability problem that has built up over the past two decades,” Mr
Gilbert said.

The federal Housing and Homelessness Minister, Brendan
O'Connor, is expected to respond to the ABS report later today.

Domestic violence, unemployment, mental illness, family breakdowns
and drug and alcohol abuse are other leading causes of homelessness.

The ABS will release more detailed information about the
link between homelessness and remoteness later this month.